Vivo unveils new Time of Flight 3D Sensing Technology that can map items 10 feet away

Vivo is the Chinese phone manufacturer behind the NEX series of handsets. These phones sport a pop-up selfie snapper, a nearly bezel-less display and an on display fingerprint scanner. Today, at MWC Shanghai 2018, the company unveiled its Time of Flight (TOF) 3D Sensing Technology. The technology uses emitted pulse light and measures the time it takes the light to bounce and return to the sensor. This allows it to map things that are as far as 10-feet away. The technology, according to Vivo, will find use in "facial, gesture and motion recognition, 3D photography and AR."

If this sounds familiar, it is because back in November, we told you that Apple is working on a Time of Flight system for the rear facing 3D scanning camera that it hopes to include with its 2019 iPhone models. Vivo's TOF 3D Sensing Technology employs 300,000 sensors, 10 times the number used on structured light systems like Apple's TrueDepth Camera. TOF 3D Sensing is also smaller and is more flexible making it easier to place inside a smartphone.

"From last year's debut of In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology, the recent launch of the truly bezel-less Vivo NEX, to our ground-breaking TOF 3D Sensing technology, we continue to forge ahead and evolve towards the truly intelligent future by opening new ways for the AI to help the consumer. By combining TOF 3D Sensing Technology with AI, we will continue to explore new possibilities for a better future."-Alex Feng, Senior Vice President, Vivo

Vivo sees the technology being used for more than just face recognition and says that it can open up new entertainment possibilities. Vivo also points out that this is NOT a proof of concept, and that the technology is tested and that it will soon meet industry standards that are required for it to be integrated with current apps.

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